Electronic device case with peripheral storage

ABSTRACT

A protective case for an electronic device and an associated electrical peripheral device includes a member for receiving at least a portion of the electronic device and protecting the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective case. The protective case also includes an aperture and a docking receptacle for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device. The docking receptacle includes a cavity for receiving the electrical peripheral device and an engagement mechanism for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device in the cavity. Finally, the protective case includes a flexible member attached to the member and positioned in proximity to the docking receptacle. The flexible member is configured to temporarily deform toward the cavity of the docking receptacle in response to an external force such that the flexible member contacts the retained electrical peripheral device and ejects the electrical peripheral device from the docking receptacle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 62/092,646 filed on Dec. 16, 2014, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present application relates to protective cases for electronicdevices. More specifically, the present application relates toprotective cases that provide features for use with electricalperipheral devices that are used with the electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic devices are commonly used for communication andentertainment purposes. Portable electronic devices include devices suchas smartphones, cellular phones, mobile communication devices, portablecomputers, tablet computers, cameras, video players, audio players,electronic media readers, two-way radios, global positioning satellite(GPS) devices, and/or other types of electronic computing orcommunication devices, including combinations thereof. Protective cases,covers, enclosures, or encasements are sometimes used with these typesof electronic devices in order to protect the devices from damage due toexposure to shock, impact, dropping, puncture, dust, dirt, water, snow,rain, mud, chemicals, and/or other potentially damaging forces orelements.

The types of portable electronic devices and mobile computing devicesdescribed above are also sometimes used with peripheral devices.Peripheral devices may include headphones, audio headphones, earbuds,ear buds, headsets, external speakers, external microphones, and/orother types of peripheral devices that are external to the portableelectronic device. Portable electronic devices are also sometimes usedwith various types of sensors such as a biological sensor, anexercise-related sensor, a medical monitoring sensor, an environmentalsensor, and/or an industrial sensor. Although the improvements disclosedherein are primarily described with respect to earbuds and audioheadphones, the improvements are equally applicable to any type ofperipheral device that may be used with the portable electronic device,including, but not limited to, the other examples of peripheral devicesprovided herein.

The peripheral devices with which the improvements described herein maybe used or applied may include wired peripheral devices, wirelessperipheral devices, or peripheral devices having both wired and wirelessfeatures. The techniques disclosed herein provide improved methods ofperforming various functions associated with the peripherals includingimproved methods of: storing the peripheral devices in a protective casewith the portable electronic device, carrying the peripheral deviceswith the portable electronic device, managing cords or cables associatedwith the peripheral device, using the peripheral device, receiving datafrom the peripheral device, transmitting data to the peripheral device,charging the peripheral device, and/or providing power to the peripheraldevice.

In the example of headphones, users of portable electronic devices oftencarry headphones, headsets, or earbuds with them to be used with theportable electronic device. Receiving audio signals or data from theelectronic device through a headphone rather than through a built inspeaker of the electronic device may provide a number of benefitsincluding: permitting the user to better hear audio information in anoisy environment, permitting the user to hear audio information withoutdisturbing others in the area, permitting the user to hear the audioinformation confidentially, permitting the user to get the audioinformation in a higher quality form or in a more amplified form. Often,plugging a headphone, headset, or external speaker into an audio jack ofthe portable electronic device disables one or more speakers built intothe electronic device, or otherwise causes audio information to not beoutput through the one or more built in speakers of the electronicdevice.

Remote microphones may also be used with electronic devices in mannerssimilar to those described above with respect to headphones. In otherwords, a user may use one or more external or auxiliary microphones witha portable electronic device rather than using a built in microphone ofthe portable electronic device, either temporarily or permanently. Insome situations, an external microphone may also be included on or witha headphone. This allows a user to conduct a voice call and also getsome or all of the headphone benefits described above with respect tothe microphone. It may also allow a user to speak on a call withouthaving to speak into or close to the built in microphone of theelectronic device. In some situations, the microphone is configured in aposition relative to the headphone such that the microphone will berelatively close to the user's mouth when the headphone is in or nearthe user's ear.

Existing peripheral solutions have a number of shortcomings. In the caseof wired peripherals, managing and storing cords and cables is often anissue as they often become tangled within themselves and/or tangled withother cords, cables, or devices. Also, it is often easy for a user toforget to take the peripheral when heading out and/or to find theperipheral among other items in a backpack, purse, briefcase, suitcase,or drawer when it is needed. Often there is a time sensitivityassociated with finding, untangling, and/or getting the peripheralattached to the electronic in order to answer or participate in a phonecall.

Challenges also exist in the case of wireless peripherals, such aswireless earbuds and headphones that are used with portable electronicdevices. Although wireless peripherals do not typically have the cordmanagement issues discussed above, they may have other issues associatedwith storage, potentially being misplaced, potentially being forgotten,and/or needing to periodically be recharged.

SUMMARY

Protective cases for electronic devices are disclosed herein. Thedisclosed protective cases may include and/or may be used withperipheral devices, may include storage locations for peripheraldevices, and/or may include management features associated with theperipheral devices.

In one example, a protective case for an electronic device and anassociated electrical peripheral device is provided. The protective caseincludes a rigid member for receiving at least a portion of theelectronic device and protecting the electronic device when theelectronic device is installed in the protective case. The protectivecase also includes an aperture that provides access to a user interfaceof the installed electronic device and a docking receptacle forremovably retaining the electrical peripheral device. The dockingreceptacle includes a cavity for receiving at least a portion of theelectrical peripheral device and an engagement mechanism for removablyretaining the electrical peripheral device in the cavity. Finally, theprotective case includes a flexible member attached to the rigid memberand positioned in proximity to the docking receptacle. The flexiblemember is configured to temporarily deform toward the cavity of thedocking receptacle in response to an external force applied to theflexible member such that the flexible member contacts the retainedelectrical peripheral device and ejects the electrical peripheral devicefrom the docking receptacle.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of theinvention. As will be realized, the invention is capable ofmodifications in various aspects, all without departing from the scopeof the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detaileddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and notrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described and explainedthrough the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a protective case for an electronic device;

FIG. 2 illustrates a protective case with a peripheral device;

FIG. 3 illustrates a protective case with a stowed peripheral device;

FIG. 4 illustrates a protective case with a stowed peripheral device;

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate configuration of a protective case witha stowed peripheral device;

FIG. 6 illustrates a protective case with stowed wireless peripheraldevices;

FIG. 7A illustrates the protective case of FIG. 6 with one wirelessperipheral device unstowed;

FIG. 7B illustrates a wireless peripheral device;

FIG. 8 illustrates a protective case having a compartment for aperipheral device;

FIG. 9 illustrates the protective case of FIG. 8 with a peripheraldevice stored in the compartment;

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate configuration of the protective case ofFIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates a protective case for a mobile computing device;

FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of a protective case having dockinglocations for earbuds;

FIG. 13 illustrates a back perspective view of the protective case ofFIG. 12 with an undocked earbud;

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a protective case havingdocking locations for earbuds;

FIG. 15 illustrates a back view of the protective case of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 illustrates a front view of a protective case having dockinglocations for earbuds; and

FIG. 17 illustrates a back view of the protective case of FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, various specific details are setforth in order to provide an understanding of and describe theapparatuses and techniques introduced here. However, the techniques maybe practiced without the specific details set forth in these examples.Various alternatives, modifications, and/or equivalents will be apparentto those skilled in the art without varying from the spirit of theintroduced apparatuses and techniques. For example, while theembodiments described herein refer to particular features, the scope ofthis solution also includes embodiments having different combinations offeatures and embodiments that do not include all of the describedfeatures. Accordingly, the scope of the techniques and solutionsintroduced herein are intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims,together with all equivalents thereof. Therefore, the description shouldnot be taken as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined bythe claims.

In one example, a protective case for an electronic device and anassociated electrical peripheral device is provided. The protective caseincludes a rigid member and/or a structural member for receiving atleast a portion of the electronic device and protecting the electronicdevice when the electronic device is installed in the protective case.The protective case may also include an aperture that provides access toa user interface of the installed electronic device and a dockingreceptacle for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device. Thedocking receptacle may include a cavity for receiving at least a portionof the electrical peripheral device and an engagement mechanism forremovably retaining the electrical peripheral device in the cavity.Finally, the protective case may include a flexible member attached tothe rigid member and positioned in proximity to the docking receptacle.The flexible member is configured to temporarily deform toward thecavity of the docking receptacle in response to an external forceapplied to the flexible member such that the flexible member contactsthe retained electrical peripheral device and ejects the electricalperipheral device from the docking receptacle. In some configurations,the protective case may also include features for providing electricalpower to and/or charging the electrical peripheral device.

In another embodiment, a protective case for an electronic deviceprovides protection to the electronic device and also provides aretractable, corded peripheral for use with the electronic device. Theperipheral may include one or more headphones, a microphone, abiological sensor, a biometric sensor, an industrial sensor, or anyother type of electrical input or output device that interfaces with theelectronic device through an electrical cord or cable. The protectivecase may include a spool or roll for rolling up the peripheral cablewhen the peripheral is not in use in order to reduce the chance oftangling of the cord and/or misplacement of the peripheral. The spoolmay be spring loaded such that it automatically rolls up the cable(s) ofthe peripheral when activated. The spool may also be manually operatedby a user to roll up the cable(s). For example, the back of theprotective cover may contain a rotatable disk with a depression for auser's finger such that the user rotates the disk using the depressionto roll up the cable(s). When rolled up or retracted, the cable may ormay not be visible from the outside of the case.

The protective case may have one or more recesses, cut-outs, cavities,reliefs, slots, compartments, and/or other types of storage locationsfor a peripheral, or for a portion of a peripheral. This allows theperipheral to be held on or within the protective case in a manner thatprovides it protection, allows the user to easily slide the protectivecase in and out of a storage location such as a pocket or backpackwithout snagging or damaging the peripheral, and reduces stress andstrain on the cables, if any, by reducing or eliminating potentialmovement of the peripheral relative to the cable(s) when not in use.

The cable management mechanisms described herein may also be configuredto allow a corded peripheral to be extended from a case partially. Forexample, a protective case with retractable headphones may include sixfeet of cable for the headphones even though that length of headphonecable may only be needed in some circumstances. Therefore, a user mayonly extend 2 or 3 feet of the cable for some uses. This allows the userto have more peripheral cable length available when needed, but not havethe full length of cable in the way or exposed to potentially gettangled when it is not needed.

FIG. 1 illustrates a protective case 110 for an electronic device 100.Electronic device 100 may be a smartphone, cellular phone, mobilecommunication device, portable computer, tablet computer, camera, videoplayer, audio player, electronic media reader, two-way radio, globalpositioning satellite (GPS) device, and/or other types of electroniccomputing or communication device, including combinations thereof.Protective case 110 includes any case, cover, and/or encasement that atleast partially covers electronic device 100 and protects electronicdevice 100 when it is installed in protective case 110. Protective case110 may include multiple components, may include rigid components, andmay include soft components. Protective case 110 may include a membrane,transparent membrane, or thin film through which a touchscreen or otherinterface features of electronic device 100 are operated whileelectronic device 100 is inside protective case 110. Any of thecomponents of protective case 110 may be made of any material orcombination of materials including plastic, silicone, elastomer, metal,glass, ceramic, wood, and/or combinations thereof.

The protective cases disclosed herein may include any type of case,protective case, cover, protective cover, encasement, protectiveencasement, shell, protective shell, crush resistant case, crush proofcase, water proof case, water resistant case, and/or combinationsthereof. The protective cases may comprise one, two, three, or moreshell portions designed to encase the electronic device, partially orcompletely. The various shell portions may have one or more claspingmechanism for attaching to each other and for retaining the electronicdevice. One or more of the shell portions may have a front portion, aback portion, side portions, a proximal portion, a distal portion, aninner surface, an outer surface, an aperture, a button feature, a switchfeature, a door, an access port, and/or an opening for accessing one ormore features of the electronic device.

Protective case 110 includes a storage area, such as recess 112, forheadphones 130 (only partially visible in FIG. 1) which may be used withelectronic device 100. Headphones 130 may be stored in recess 112 ofprotective case 110. Recess 112 may contain headphones 130 eitherpartially of completely. Beneficially, storage of headphones 130 inrecess 112 allows the outside envelope of protective case 110 to remainrelatively smooth such that it can be put in a pocket or bag withoutsignificant increased risk of snagging or catching on headphones 130, orcables or other features associated with headphones 130. In addition,headphones 130 are held in place such that stresses and strains, if any,on the connections between the cable(s) (not visible in FIG. 1) and theheadphones are reduced or eliminated.

While many of the examples herein are discussed with respect toheadphones and earbuds, the techniques disclosed herein are similarlyapplicable to other types of electrical and/or electronic peripheraldevices that may be used with an electronic device, such as electronicdevice 100, including wired and wireless peripheral devices.

FIG. 2 illustrates protective case 110 with headphones 130 of FIG. 1 inan extended, or partially extended, configuration. A user may extendheadphones 130, as illustrated, to use them to listen to audioinformation produced by electronic device 100, such as to listen tomusic played by a software application running on electronic device 100.Headphones 130 are attached to electronic device 100 through cable 135.An additional length of cable 135 may be inside protective case 110. Theadditional length of cable 135 to be extended further, if and whennecessary. Cable 135 may include an electromechanical plug, such as anaudio plug or headphone plug, for connecting headphones 130 toelectronic device 100. The electrical connection may be accomplished ina variety of manners. In one configuration, cable 135 may include anelectrical connector that attaches directly to an electrical interface,connector, plug, port, or jack of electronic device 100. Alternately,cable 135 may electrically connect, permanently or semi-permanently, toprotective case 110 and protective case 110 may indirectly provide theelectrical connection between headphones 120 and electronic device 100.In one example, protective case 110 may include an audio plug that isinserted into an audio jack of electronic device 100 when electronicdevice 100 is inserted into protective case 110. The audio jack ofprotective case 110 may be electrically connected, permanently orsemi-permanently, to cable 135 and headphone 130 for providingelectrical signals from electronic device 100 to headphones 130.

An electrical connector or plug that is internal to protective case 110may also be attached to a short flexible cable that a user manuallymanipulates and attaches to electronic device 100 as or beforeelectronic device 100 is inserted into protective case 110. Alternately,the electrical connector or plug of protective case 110 may be rigidlyattached to protective case 110 and positioned such that it becomesinserted into electronic device 100 when electronic device 100 isinserted into protective case 110 without any specific furthermanipulation or interaction from the user, other than the insertion ofelectronic device 100 into protective case 110.

Recess 112 may include one or more compartments, sections, cavities,recesses, and/or cutouts for each of headphones 130 and/or for any otherfeature(s) of another type of peripheral device. Protective case 110and/or headphones 130 may include retention features that allowheadphones 130 to snap into recess 112 or otherwise be removably held orretained in recess 112 in a fixed or secure configuration. The retentionfeatures may include a snap, a tab, a clip, a spring clip, a magnet, aflexible element, a twist lock feature, a threaded portion, a frictionfit, an interference fit, a piece of compliant material, or anothercomponent which provides some type of attachment, friction, stiction,and/or adhesion which causes headphone 130, or another peripheral, totend to stay in place in protective case 110 while still being removableby a user. While recess 112 is illustrated as being on a top backportion of protective case 110, recess 112, or a plurality of recesses,may be included on any part of protective case 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of a protective case 110 with headphones130 stowed. An electronic device in protective case 110 may be visiblefrom the opposite side of protective case 110 through an aperture inprotective case 110. Headphones 130 are stowed in slots 114 inprotective case 110 and cable 135 is wound up inside protective case 110on spool 142 for ease of storage, ease of transport, and to avoidtangling. Cable 135 is also electrically connected to an electronicdevice inside protective case 110 (not visible in FIG. 3), eitherdirectly or indirectly. Spool 142 may be spring loaded or otherwiseconfigured to apply force to roll up or retract cable 135. Protectivecase 110 may also include a switch, actuator, or trigger, such as switch148, for actuating the spring loaded function of spool 142 describedabove. In one example, a user may pull headphones 130 out of protectivecase 110 for use. Cable 135 unwinds off of spool 142. A ratchetingfunction may be included to enable cable 135 to remain extended once theuser quits pulling, even though spool 142 is spring loaded. When use iscomplete, switch 148 may release the ratcheting function so that spool142 automatically rolls cable 135 back into the protective case forstowage or transport. Other mechanisms for rolling, winding, or storingcable 135 inside protective case 110 are possible and the techniquesdisclosed herein are not to be limited to the exemplary implementations.As used herein, the terms electrically connected and electricallyinterfaced may mean directly electrically connected or may meanindirectly electrically connected through other electrical componentsand/or electrical conductors.

FIG. 4 illustrates protective case 110 with headphones 130 stowed in analternate implementation of the example of FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, rotatabledisk 145 is attached to the back of protective case 110 and is movablewith respect to protective case 110. Rotatable disk 145 includesdepression 147 which enables a user to easily use a fingertip, or otherobject, to rotate rotatable disk 145. Rotatable disk 145 rotates a shaftor spool inside protective case 110 to roll up cables 135 as describewith respect to FIG. 3. Rotatable disk 145 may also be implemented inconjunction with the spring loaded solution described with respect toFIG. 3. While the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate cable 135 beingprimarily stored inside protective case 110, other configurations may beimplemented such that cable 135 is fully or partially exposed on anouter surface of protective case 110. In another variation, headphones130 may extend from different sides and/or ends of protective case 110in order to make it easier for a user to keep track of which headphoneor earbud is for the left ear and which is for the right ear.

As described above, retractable headphones and/or other electricalperipherals may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to anelectronic device when used with a protective case of the type describedherein. When a phone or other electronic device is inserted into thecase, an electrical connection may be made to a headphone jack or tosome other electro-mechanical interface, such as to a USB connector orto an APPLE Lightning connector, for connecting a peripheral device tothe electronic device. Because this electrical connection may be intactfor the entire period the electronic device is in the case, theelectronic device may always detect that the peripheral device isattached when the electronic device is in the case.

In one specific example, a phone in a protective case that includesretractable headphones may always detect that the headphones areconnected even though the headphones are retracted and not actually inuse. Many phones use physical and/or electrical detection of headphoneplug insertion to determine whether audio should be routed to/from thespeaker/microphone on the body of the phone in amplified form or to/fromthe headphone jack for use through the headphones.

Therefore, whenever an electronic device is in the protective case, theelectronic device may detect a connection and route audio to/from theheadphones. This may be true even if the headphones are retracted andthe user is not intending to use the headphones in the current session.A protective case that automatically connects to a headphone jack of anelectronic device may have certain conveniences, but may require theuser to always use the electronic device with the headphones when theelectronic device is in the protective case because the headphoneelectrical connection to the electronic device is always in place whenthe electronic device is in the case. If the user wishes to use theelectronic device with the conventional, internal, integral speakerand/or microphone, the electronic device may have to be taken out of theprotective case to cause the electronic device to revert to its defaultmode with respect to the speaker and/or microphone. Alternately, a usermay interact with the electronic device to change a setting to cause theelectronic device to use the integral speaker or microphone even thoughthe headphones are plugged into the electronic device inside theprotective case. However, both of these solutions may be inconvenientfor users and/or may require manual intervention.

In one embodiment, the protective case senses whether the headphones areretracted or extended and communicates this information to theelectronic device. The electronic device then uses this information todetermine routing of audio when the user places a call, receives a call,receives a message, plays music, plays a video, etc. Whether or not theheadphones have been physically extended by the user can be detected inmany ways including using a mechanical switch, a proximity sensor, anoptical switch, an optical sensor, and/or a magnetic device to detectwhen magnets in the earphones are near the protective case. Alternatelyor in addition, a position sensor may be used to detect a position of adevice that is used to roll up the headphone cord inside the protectivecase. In another variation, an inductive sensor and/or measurement maybe used to determine whether or how much of the headphone cable isrolled up or on the spool versus much is unrolled into a linear, or nearlinear, state. Other methods of detecting headphone extension arepossible.

After detecting whether the headphones are extended, this information iscommunicated to the electronic device. The protective case may becapable of communicating with the electronic device or providinginformation to the electronic device in some other way. Communicationfrom the protective case to the electronic device may occur through awired connection to the electronic device or through a wirelessconnection, such as a wireless connection using Bluetooth, Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE), or Near Field Communication (NFC). If a call is receivedand the headphones are retracted into the case, the electronic devicemay use this information to determine a need to use the internal orembedded electronic device speaker/microphone of the electronic deviceeven though a plug is physically plugged into the headphone jack insidethe protective case. The existing electronic device firmware may becapable of receiving and using this information in the manner describedabove or it may be necessary to run a supplemental software application,or an “app,” on the electronic device to facilitate this capability.Beneficially, it would not be necessary for the user to manuallyinteract with the app for each use as the determination of whether theheadphones were extended or retracted would automatically be detectedand communicated to the electronic device based on the physical positionof the headphones relative to the protective case, using one or more ofthe techniques described herein.

In some configurations, the electronic device may also dynamicallychange the speaker/microphone settings during a use session. Forexample, if an electronic device is in a retractable headphone case in abackpack and a call or notification arrives, the user may struggle tofind the electronic device and may answer it at the last second before acaller hangs up or the call goes to voicemail. The user may wish to usethe headphones but may not be able extend them and/or get them in placequickly enough before answering the call. Because the headphones areretracted, the electronic device uses the built in speaker/microphoneeven though it is attached to the headphone case in accordance with thetechniques described herein. Once the user begins the discussion, he/shecan later extend the headphones and continue the call with theheadphones, which may also include a microphone. Beneficially, theprotective case will automatically detect when the headphones areextended and communicate this information or make it available to theelectronic device. Based on this information, the electronic device mayswitch the audio from the built in speaker/microphone to the nowextended headphone/microphone.

The protective cases disclosed herein may also include anelectromechanical switch that the user toggles to indicate whether theattached headphones should be used. However, communication between theprotective case and the associated electronic device may still benecessary to transmit the state of the switch to the electronic device.Without some type of communication between the protective case and theelectronic device, the electronic device may otherwise detect that ajack is plugged into the headphone port (the jack being part of thecase) and route the audio to/from the headphones through the case ratherthan using the internal or integral speaker/microphone.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate implementation of a protective case 110.In the example of FIG. 5, headphones 130 are stored in a pocket 514 inprotective case 110 with the cable 135 to the headphones stored insidethe case and rolled up on a spool similar to previous examples. Pocket514 is an example of recess 112 and/or slots 114. However, in thisexample cable 135 does not interconnect to electronic device 100 insideprotective case 110. Instead cable 135 leads to an external cableportion 136 which plugs into electronic device 100 using a jack 138 thatextends through an aperture or opening in a wall of protective case 110and plugs into electronic device 100 which is inside protective case 110(and not visible in FIG. 5). While the embodiment of FIG. 5 may notresult in a protective case with an outer envelope that is as smooth asother examples when the headphones are plugged in, this embodiment maybe simpler in that no electrical connection between protective case 110and electronic device 100 may be needed and/or it may not necessary tomake an electrical connection inside protective case 110. In this way,the user can manually plug or unplug headphones 130 without takingelectronic device 100 out of protective case 110.

The techniques and improvements described herein are not to be limitedto any particular type of protective case and may be used with manydifferent types of protective cases. Protective cases using one or moreof the techniques disclosed herein may or may not be water-resistant orwater-proof. The protective cases may have various rigid and/orcompliant components for protecting the electronic device from shock,impact, vibration, dirt, rain, snow, dust, puncture, extremeacceleration, and/or other potentially damaging forces or elements. Thepocket, recess, opening, compartment, slot, cavity, or other space inwhich headphones or another peripheral are stored in the case can varyin number, shape, size, and/or location on the case.

Electronic devices are commonly powered by one or more internalbatteries or other electrical power sources. The battery(s) enableelectronic devices to be used in a portable manner and/or without beingtethered to a power source. These batteries are often rechargeable.Electronic devices with more features, such as larger displays and morecomputing power, typically consume the available battery power morequickly. When an electronic device's battery is exhausted, the devicemay become unusable until the battery can be recharged or until thedevice can be connected to another battery or a power source, such as awall outlet. Battery capacity may become an issue due to factors such aspower requirements of the electronic device, extended usage of theelectronic device, physical space constraints of the internal battery,power requirements of peripheral(s) attached to the electronic device,temperature extremes, unavailability of a power source for charging,decreased battery capacity due to aging of the battery, decreasedbattery life due to the number of charge/discharge cycles the batteryhas endured, or combinations thereof. These factors can reduce theusefulness of the electronic device because usage of the device betweenrecharges is limited and the user may have to discontinue use due to adepleted battery until a power source is located.

Some existing protective cases for electronic devices includesupplemental power devices or power sources for supplying power from thecase to the electronic device. Supplemental power is often provided byone or more rechargeable batteries included in the protective case. Therechargeable batteries of the protective case may be used to power theinserted electronic device and/or to charge the internal battery of theelectronic device. While many of the examples herein are discussed inthe context of a single supplemental battery or power source, it shouldbe understood that the techniques, apparatuses, and methods disclosedherein are also applicable to configurations in which more than onepower source in the electronic device is used and/or more than onesupplemental power source in the case is used. Protective cases havingbatteries as supplemental power sources are sometimes generally referredto as “battery cases.” However, the techniques disclosed herein areequally applicable to protective cases having other types of powersources including: a solar cell, a fuel cell, a kinetic energy capturemechanism, a supercapacitor, a thermal cell, an external power source,and/or combinations thereof.

FIG. 6 illustrates a battery case 610 for an electronic device. Theelectronic device (not illustrated in FIG. 6) fits into battery case 610and can receive electrical power from a battery in battery case 610.Battery case 610 also includes storage or docking locations for earbuds681 and 682. Earbuds 681 and 682 are wireless earphone devices a usermay place in or near his or her ear for listening to audio informationwirelessly transmitted by an electronic device. Earbuds 681 and 682 maybe any kind of earphone, headphone, speaker, and/or other type oflistening device. In one specific example, a smartphone inserted intobattery case 610 wirelessly transmits audio playback data usingBluetooth Low Energy to earbuds 681 and 682, which have been insertedinto the user's ears. In this way, the user is able to listen to theaudio playback data without bothering others and without the disruptionof wires or cables. One or more of earbuds 681 and 682 may include otherfeatures, such as a microphone for capturing audio information from theuser and transmitting back to the electronic device, or to anotherdevice. While many of the examples herein are described with respect tohaving two earbuds or earphones, the techniques disclosed herein areequally applicable to configurations utilizing only a single earbud orearphone and to configurations using more than two earbuds or earphones.The techniques are also equally applicable to configurations using aheadset that includes both an earphone and a microphone, such as to aBluetooth audio headset for use with a cellular phone.

FIG. 7A illustrates battery case 610 with earbud 681 unstowed. FIG. 7Billustrates earbud 681 removed from battery case 610. In FIG. 7A,battery case 610 is illustrated with earbud 681 removed from a dockinglocation 690 on battery case 610. Docking location 690 is a storagelocation for earbud 681 that allows earbud 681 to be easily removablystowed in battery case 610. In some configurations, docking location 690may also be referred to as a docking receptacle. Another dockinglocation similar to docking location 690 may be included for earbud 682.Stowing or docking earbuds 681 and 682 in battery case 610 makes themreadily available for use with an electronic device installed in batterycase 610 and reduces the chances that they will be forgotten, lost, leftbehind, or misplaced. Docking location 690 may be present at anylocation on battery case 610. Battery case 610 may semi-permanentlyretain earbud 681 using one or more of a variety mechanical mechanismsincluding: a hook, a tab, a flexible lever, a retention feature, aspring clip, a slot, a fastener, a groove, a rail, a hook and loopfastener, a magnet, an adhesive, an interference fit, and/or anycomponent which keeps earbud 681 removably in place or removablyretained in docking location 690.

In some configurations, docking location 690 and battery case 610 mayprovide physical protection to earbud 681 when inserted docking location690. Protection may include protection from bumps, dropping, impact,jarring, shock, dirt, dust, mud, mist, rain, water, or snow. In someconfigurations, earbud 681 may contain one or more portions, such as theportion where sound leaves earbud 681, that are susceptible, or moresusceptible, to moisture or water. Docking location 690 may include acavity and gasket or sealing mechanism that receives and protects atleast a susceptible portion of earbud 681 to protect it from moisture orwater, even though other portions of earbud 681 may remain exposed tothese elements. The protective functions described above with respect toa wireless earbud may also be implemented with respect to otherperipherals, including wired peripherals, which are attached to aprotective case and/or to an electronic device inside the protectivecase.

While the storage functions for earbuds 681 and 682 are described hereinwith respect to a battery case, such as battery case 610, it should beunderstood that these techniques are also applicable to other types ofprotective cases which may not necessarily include a battery or powersource. However, in the example of a battery case, a power or chargingfunction may also be included. For example, battery case 610 may chargea rechargeable battery of earbud 681 when earbud 681 is docked or storedin docking location 690. Beneficially, charging earbud 681 when it isnot in use increases the amount of battery power available in earbud 681and extends the operational life of earbud 681 available to the userwhen the earbud is removed from the docking location for use. Thecharging capability of battery case 610 may be dedicated to chargingearbuds 681 and 682, dedicated to charging an electronic device insertedinto battery case 610, dedicated to charging another peripheral device,or may be used for charging a combination of these devices, eithersequentially or simultaneously.

Charging of earbud 681 and/or 682 by battery case 610 may be performedthrough a wired and/or through a wireless charging connection. In theexample of a wired charging connection, docking location 690 may includeelectrical contacts (not pictured) that electrically interface toelectrical contacts of earbud 681 to provide electrical power frombattery case 610 to earbud 681. In the example of a wireless chargingconnection, battery case 610 may transfer power to earbud 681 usinginduction, inductive charging, inductive coupling, resonant inductivecoupling, magnetic resonant inductive coupling, or a combinationthereof. The wireless charging may conform to one or more wirelesscharging protocols including Qi, Powermat, A4WP, Rezence, otherprotocols or standards, or combinations thereof. Protective case 610 mayalso be configured to receive electrical power using one or more of thewireless charging methods described herein and/or using one or more ofthe wireless charging protocols described herein.

In one variation, the peripheral stowing and/or charging functionsdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7 may be implemented in the formof an apparatus that attaches to one or more sides of an electronicdevice without necessarily encasing or enclosing the electronic device.For example, an earbud holder having features similar to those describedherein may attach to the back of a smartphone for docking and storingearbuds. The attachment to the smartphone may be accomplished using anadhesive, a removable adhesive, a hook and loop fastener, a clip, astrap, a snap, a magnet, a slot, a rail, a conforming element, a suctionfeature, another attachment feature, and/or combinations thereof.Beneficially, an apparatus of this type may be adaptable to manydifferent models and types of electronic devices because it may not benecessary for it to fit the specific mechanical dimensions of the outerenvelope of the electronic device.

As described in the examples herein, the protective case, cover, orother apparatus in which the wireless earbuds are stored may contain abattery which can provide electrical power to the earbuds to charge themwhen they are in the docked or stored position. Alternately, theprotective case, cover, or apparatus may not contain a battery but maystill include an electrical connection to the electronic device whichenables the battery of the electronic device to be used to recharge theearbuds when they are in the docked or stored location, via the case,cover, or apparatus. In other words, the protective case, cover, orapparatus may not necessarily be the source of the charging power to theearbuds but may facilitate transfer of power from the electronic deviceto the earbuds.

Each of the electrical connections described above (the electricalconnection between the electronic device and the protective case and theelectrical connection between the protective case and each of the one ormore docked earbuds) may be a wired or wireless electrical connection.Power may be transferred through one or more wireless connections usinginduction, inductive charging, inductive coupling, resonant inductivecoupling, magnetic resonant inductive coupling, or a combinationthereof. In addition to transferring electrical or charging power, anyof the electrical connections discussed herein may also be used fortransferring data or control signals between the various devices.

Using the techniques described herein, a protective case, cover,enclosure, or encasement of the types described herein may be used tostore, dock, exchange data with, and/or charge any other type ofelectrical or electronic peripheral device or devices. The peripheraldevice(s) may be used with the protective case and/or with used with anelectronic device installed in the protective case.

In one example, a wireless biological sensor or biometric sensor, suchas a wireless heart rate monitor, has a stowage location in one of theprotective cases, covers, or encasements described herein. When a userwishes to use the biological sensor in conjunction with an activity, itis removed from the docking or stowage location and placed on the body,or in another preferential location for gathering the desired biologicaldata. While in use, the biological sensor gathers data and transmitsthat data to the electronic device that is in the protective case. Whenthe biological sensor is in the stowage location on the protective case,a rechargeable battery or other replenishable power source of thebiological sensor may be charged by the protective case and/or theelectronic device, either through electrical contacts or wirelessly.

In another example, a wireless peripheral device may include a sensorother than a biological sensor. The peripheral device may include asensor for gathering data from a piece of exercise equipment or workequipment, such as a sensor for measuring the speed or pedal cadence ofa bicycle. The sensor is removed from the protective case and placed ina preferred position to gather data, which may be transmitted to theelectronic device wirelessly using a protocol such as Bluetooth orBluetooth Low Energy. The sensor is then returned to the protective caseafter use and can be charged by the protective case to prepare it foranother future use.

In yet another variation of the examples above, a peripheral device foruse with the protective cases, covers, or encasements described hereinmay use a stowed position in the case for communicating data in additionto the charging functions described above. For example, the peripheraldevice may include a temperature sensor or other industrial sensor. Theperipheral device is removed from the protective case and placed at, ornear, a preferred location to gather data. In this implementation, theperipheral does not necessarily transmit data when separated from theprotective case. When returned to the protective case, the peripheralmay transmit the collected data to the protective case and/or theelectronic device in addition to being recharged by the protective case.The transmission of the data may take place wirelessly or may utilize awired connection such as electrical contacts on the protective case thatengage the peripheral when the peripheral is placed in the stowageposition on the case. Data communication between the protective case andthe peripheral device may be unidirectional or bidirectional.

FIG. 8 illustrates a protective encasement 810 for an electronic device.Protective encasement 810 is an example of protective case 110. In theview illustrated in FIG. 8, a back of protective encasement 810 isvisible and includes a compartment 861 for storing a peripheral device,such as headphones 890. An electronic device used with protectiveencasement 810 would be visible and/or inserted into protectiveencasement 810 from the opposite side of protective encasement 810.Protective encasement 810 includes a door 862 for enclosing or coveringcompartment 861. In some configurations, compartment 861 may include agasket or other sealing mechanism for making compartment 861 waterresistant and/or waterproof.

Compartment 861 may be used for storing one or more peripherals, such asheadphones 890, and/or for storing other objects or devices, such askeys, a credit card, and/or money. Beneficially, headphones 890 and/orthe other objects are carried with protective encasement 810 and theassociated electrical device such that they are readily available, noteasily lost, protected from damage, and/or protected from tangling. FIG.9 illustrates headphones 890 stored in compartment 861 of protectiveencasement 810.

While protective encasement 810 is illustrated as having the storagecompartment 861 on the back of protective encasement 810, compartment861 could be included on any part of protective encasement 810 and/oraccessible from any side of protective encasement 810. Similarly, eventhough door 862 is illustrated as being hinged to and pivoting fromprotective encasement 810, many other configurations are possible. Forexample, door 862 may completely separate from protective encasement 810when opened and/or may slide open from protective encasement 810.

FIG. 10 illustrates a variation of protective encasement 810 in whichstorage compartment 861 further includes specific features forfacilitating storage of headphones 890. Specifically, compartment 861includes holders 874 for holding or retaining the speaker portions ofheadphones 890 and posts 872 for wrapping the cable of headphones 890around. Many other components are possible inside compartment 861 formanaging storage of headphones 890 and/or any other peripheral or objectthat is stored in the compartment. These features enable the headphones,other peripheral device(s), or objects to be stored in a more securemanner and/or a more organized manner and reduce the possibility ofcables getting tangled or knotted.

Many other types of features for managing the storage of a peripheraldevice and/or associated cables inside compartment 861 are possible. Forexample, compartment 861 of protective encasement 810 may also beconfigured to permit connection of a peripheral device to an electronicdevice through an opening, hole, port, passage, channel, or other pathin protective encasement 810. In other words, the peripheral device maybe connected to the electronic device within protective encasement 810and without the peripheral cable needing to extend outside or on anoutside surface of protective encasement 810. This may be accomplishedby feeding the peripheral cable through an internal passage andconnecting it directly to the electronic device.

Alternately, a cavity of protective encasement 810 may include anelectrical connector or port to which a peripheral device can beattached. The electrical port or connector of protective encasement 810may then be internally connected, directly or indirectly, to theelectronic device using one or more of the techniques described hereinwhere there is not an opening or aperture between compartment 861 and anarea of protective encasement 810 containing the electronic device. Aconnection between the peripheral device and the electronic device whilemaintaining isolation between the associated compartments of theprotective case may be accomplished using one or more techniquesincluding: radio frequency communication, optical communication,infrared communication, near field communication, inductive coupling, awater resistant electrical feed-through device, and/or a waterproofelectrical feed-through device.

FIG. 11 illustrates a protective cover 1110 for a mobile computingdevice. Protective cover 1110 includes an alternate type of cavity 1161for storing a peripheral device. The view illustrated in FIG. 11 is of aback side of protective cover 1110. A mobile computing device used withprotective cover 1110 would typically be inserted and/or visible in thefront, or opposite, side of protective cover 1110. Cover 1112 slides onand off of protective cover 1110 to expose or cover storage compartment1161 which may be used to store a peripheral device in protective cover1110. It should be understood that many other case, compartment, andcover configurations are possible. Compartment 1161 may contain any ofthe features of compartment 861 described above.

In some embodiments, the protective cases, covers, enclosures, orencasements described herein may also include additional features forassisting in the operation of or enhancing the operation of a peripheraldevice. In one example, a protective case for use with an audioperipheral, such as speakers, headphones, and/or a microphone, includeselectrical circuitry for improving the performance of the audioperipheral. The circuitry may include an amplifier, an equalizer, afilter, audio enhancement features, noise reduction components, and/ornoise canceling components. The circuitry may include analog electricalcomponents, digital electrical components, discrete components,integrated circuits, a computer processor, a microcontroller, a digitalsignal processor, and/or other electrical components includingcombinations thereof.

In one specific example, a protective case may include a supplemental orhigh quality audio amplifier for providing improved and/or increasedamplification for audio signals sent to a set of headphones used withthe protective case and/or used with an electronic device that is insidethe protective case. The electronic device provides audio playbackinformation to the protective case, either through electrical contactsor wirelessly. The high quality amplifier in the protective caseamplifies these signals using higher quality components and/or methodsmay have been used had the amplification been provided by the electronicdevice itself. The high quality amplified signals are then output fromthe protective case to a set of headphones for an improved audioexperience.

In another example, the protective case may include a retractable cordedbiological sensor, such as a heart rate monitor. The protective case mayinclude electrical and/or electronic circuitry for driving, controlling,reading, and/or powering the biological sensor. The protective case mayalso include electrical and/or electronic circuitry for processing,conditioning, digitizing, and/or amplifying signals received from thebiological sensor. In some situations, the signals from a biologicalsensor, such as a heart rate monitor, may be relatively weak and thecircuitry may amplify and/or digitize these signals before providing thesignals to the electronic device.

FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of a protective case 1210 havingdocking locations for earbuds 1281 and 1282. Protective case 1210 isillustrated with electronic device 100 installed. Protective case 1210is an example of protective case 610 and may or may not include asupplemental battery. Earbuds 1281 and 1282 are each examples of earbud681 and/or earbud 682. Earbuds 1281 and 1282 are stored in dockinglocations, stowage locations, and/or docking receptacles that areaccessible from sides of protective case 1210. Docking locations,stowage locations, and/or docking receptacles may be placed in otherlocations on protective case 1210. Earbuds 1281 and 1282 are removablyretained or held in protective case 1210 until a user wishes to use themand removes them from protective case 1210 for use. Earbuds 1281 and1282 may be wired or wireless and may be electrically charged byprotective case 1210 and/or electronic device 100 when they are stowed.In some examples, only a single earbud, headset, Bluetooth headset,sensor, or other peripheral may be used with protective case 1210.

Protective case 1210 may comprise a single component or it may comprisemultiple components which fit, snap, or clasp together. In someconfigurations, a component of protective case 1210 may comprisemultiple materials and/or multiple layers. In one example, protectivecase 1210 may comprise an outer layer as well as a soft inner layer thatis in contact with installed electronic device 100. In someconfigurations, the outer layer may be a rigid outer layer, a structuralmember or layer, and/or a resilient layer that protects against impacts,bending, punctures, scratching, and/or other forces or elements. In someconfigurations, the soft inner layer may cushion electronic device 100,reduce transfer of forces from outside protective case 1210 toelectronic device 100, and protect electronic device 100 fromscratching, wear, marring, and/or other forces. In some configurations,protective case 1210 may also have a membrane or film that protects aninteractive touchscreen of electronic device 100 while still allowingthe interactive touchscreen to be operated by a user through themembrane or film.

FIG. 13 illustrates a back perspective view of protective case 1210 withearbud 1281 removed from docking receptacle 1291. A small portion ofelectronic device 100 is visible through a camera opening 1260 ofprotective case 1210. Docking receptacle 1291 may sometimes also bedescribed as a docking location, a stowage location, a receiving area,and/or a receiver for an earbud or other electrical or electronicperipheral device.

Docking receptacle 1291 may include a wired or wireless electricalinterface for communicating electrical power and/or data between earbud1281 and electronic device 100 and/or between earbud 1281 and protectivecase 1210. Protective case 1210 also includes a port cover 1280 whichcovers an external electrical interface to protective cover 1210. Theelectrical interface may be used for providing electrical power and/ordata communications to protective case 1210 and/or to electronic device100 from an external source or device. Protective case 1210 may alsoinclude an electrical interface for electrically connecting toelectronic device 100.

Electrical power received by protective case 1210 may be distributedamong any combination of: protective case 1210, electronic device 100,and/or one or more docked peripheral devices, such as earbud 1281. Whenprotective case 1210 is not receiving external electrical power from anexternal power source, electrical power may be supplied to one or moredocked peripheral devices by protective case 1210, by electronic device100, or by a combination thereof. Protective case 1210 may include abattery and may supply electrical power to one or more of electronicdevice 100 and/or one or more docked peripheral devices. Protective case1210 may include electrical circuitry, electrical components, analogcomponents, digital components, discrete components, a circuit board,electrical connectors, and/or a computer processor or microprocessor forperforming any of the power management functions described herein, aswell as for performing data communications, if any.

FIG. 14 illustrates a back perspective view of a protective case 1410.Protective case 1410 is an example of and may include features of any ofthe other protective cases disclosed herein and includes dockingreceptacles for earbuds 1281 and 1282 on a surface or bottom area ofprotective case 1410. As with the other examples of protective casesprovided herein, protective case 1410 may or may not include a batteryand may or may not be capable of charging earbuds 1281 and 1282. In someconfigurations, the docking receptacles, such as docking receptacle1291, may be spring loaded such that pushing one of earbuds 1281 and1282 into the docking receptacle a first distance causes it to beremovably retained while pushing it again to another depth causes it tobe released. A docking receptacle may be located at any place onprotective case 1410. FIG. 15 illustrates a back view of protective case1410 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 illustrates a front view of a protective case 1510. Protectivecase 1510 is an example of and may include features of any of the otherprotective cases disclosed herein. Protective case 1510 includes dockingreceptacles 1291 and 1292 on a front surface of protective case 1510.Docking receptacles 1291 and 1292 removably retain earbuds 1281 and1282, respectively. As with the other examples of protective casesherein, protective case 1510 may or may not include a battery and may ormay not be capable of charging earbuds 1281 and 1282. Each of dockingreceptacles 1291 and 1292 may include a snap, a tab, a clip, a magnet, aflexible element, a spring, a twist lock feature, a threaded portion, afriction fit, an interference fit, a piece of compliant material, oranother component which provides some kind of friction, stiction,adhesion, and/or retention function to removably retain earbuds 1281 and1282, respectively. The retention force is sufficient to keep earbuds1281 and 1282 from accidentally being dislodged from protective case1510 while still allowing a user to eject earbud 1281 and/or 1282 fromprotective case 1510 for use when desired.

FIG. 17 illustrates a back view of protective case 1510 which includesflexible member 1550. Flexible member 1550 is positioned in proximity toand opposite docked earbuds 1281 and 1282 such that it can be used topush or release earbud 1281 and/or 1282 from the associated dockingreceptacles 1291 and 1292. Flexible member 1550 includes a panel,section, or insert that is configured to temporarily deform toward acavity of docking receptacles 1291 and 1292 from inside protective case1510 in response to an external force applied to the flexible member1550, such as from a user pushing on flexible member 1550 from a back ofprotective case 1510. Temporary deformation or collapsing of flexiblemember 1550 due to the force from the user results in flexible member1550 contacting earbud 1281 and/or 1282 at an inside area of protectivecase 1510 and/or in the cavity of docking receptacles 1291 and/or 1292to push or eject one or both of earbuds 1281 and 1282 from theirrespective docking receptacle. In other words, flexible member 1550, atthe back of protective case 1510, is pressed to overcome the retentionforce or mechanism of docking receptacles 1291 and 1292 to remove theearbuds 1281 and 1282, respectively, for use. Beneficially, protectivecase 1510 keeps earbuds 1281 and 1282 conveniently stowed when not inuse and a user can easily and intuitively eject the earbuds 1281 and1282 from protective case 1510 for use when desired. Protective case1510 may or may not be configured to charge earbuds 1281 and 1282 whenthey are docked or stowed.

Flexible member 1550 may naturally relax to its original shape when theforce is removed or may only be pushed back to its original shape whenearbuds 1281 and 1282 are re-inserted into docking receptacles 1291 and1292 of protective case 1510. Flexible member 1550 may comprise siliconeor a similar flexible material. Flexible member 1550 and dockingreceptacles 1291 and 1292 may reside at other locations on protectivecase 1510. In one example, a separate flexible member may be associatedwith each of docking receptacles 1291 and 1292. In another example, oneor more flexible members for ejecting a peripheral may contain a bellowsstructure, an accordion shape, or another structure with folds thatallow the flexible member to be pushed to eject the peripheral and alsoreturns to its default position. Flexible member 1550 may make directcontact with earbuds 1281 and 1282 or may contact them indirectlythrough another component.

In one variation of the example of FIG. 16, flexible member 1550 may notbe present and docking receptacles 1291 and 1292 may be open, at leastpartially, to the back of protective case 1510 such that a user candirectly press earbuds 1281 and 1282 from the back of protective case1510 to push or eject them from docking receptacles 1291 and 1292 fromthe front of protective case 1510. In yet another variation, protectivecase 1510 may contain one or more spring loaded plungers or posts forpushing, ejecting, or releasing earbuds 1281 and 1282 from protectivecase 1510.

The components and configurations described herein are meant toexemplify some types of possibilities. In no way should the examplesprovided herein limit the scope of the invention as they are onlyexemplary embodiments.

The foregoing disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. Other modifications and variations may be possible inview of the above teachings. The embodiments described in the foregoingdisclosure were chosen to explain the principles of the concept and itspractical application to enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention. It is intended that the claims be construed toinclude other alternative embodiments of the invention except as limitedby the prior art.

The phrases “in some embodiments,” “according to some embodiments,” “inthe embodiments shown,” “in other embodiments,” “in some examples,” “inother examples,” “in some cases,” “in some situations,” “in someconfigurations”, “in one configuration,” “in another configuration,” andthe like generally mean that the particular technique, feature,structure, or characteristic following the phrase is included in atleast one embodiment of the present invention and/or may be included inmore than one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, suchphrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or to differentembodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective case for an electronic device and an associated electrical peripheral device, the protective case comprising: a structural member for receiving at least a portion of the electronic device and protecting the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective case; an aperture that provides access to a user interface of the installed electronic device; a docking receptacle for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device, wherein the docking receptacle includes a cavity for receiving at least a portion of the electrical peripheral device, an engagement mechanism for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device in the cavity and a first electrical interface for electrically connecting the protective case to the retained electrical peripheral device; a battery configured to supply electrical power to the retained electrical peripheral device through the first electrical interface to charge the retained electrical peripheral device; and a flexible member attached to the structural member and positioned in proximity to the docking receptacle, wherein the flexible member is configured to temporarily deform toward the cavity of the docking receptacle in response to an external force applied to the flexible member, the deformation of the flexible member resulting in the flexible member contacting the retained electrical peripheral device to eject the retained electrical peripheral device from the docking receptacle.
 2. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a second docking receptacle for removably retaining a second electrical peripheral device associated with the electronic device.
 3. The protective case of claim 2 wherein the electronic device comprises a smartphone and the first and second electrical peripheral devices each comprise a wireless earbud for use with the smartphone.
 4. The protective case of claim 1, wherein the docking receptacle is positioned on a first surface of the protective case and the flexible member is positioned on a second surface of the protective case opposite the first surface.
 5. The protective case of claim 1, wherein the flexible member is configured to contact the retained electrical peripheral device in the cavity of the docking receptacle to eject the electrical peripheral device from the docking receptacle in response to the external force applied to the flexible member.
 6. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a second electrical interface for electrically connecting the protective case to the installed electronic device.
 7. The protective case of claim 6 further comprising a battery, wherein the battery is configured to supply first electrical power to the retained electrical peripheral device through the first electrical interface and supply second electrical power to the installed electronic device through the second electrical interface.
 8. The protective case of claim 6, wherein the protective case receives electrical power from the electronic device through the second electrical interface and provides at least a portion of the received electrical power to the retained electrical peripheral device through the first electrical interface.
 9. The protective case of claim 6 further comprising a third electrical interface for receiving electrical power from an external power source.
 10. The protective case of claim 9 wherein the received electrical power is distributed from the protective case to one or more of the installed electronic device and the retained electrical peripheral device.
 11. The protective case of claim 9 further comprising a battery, wherein the received electrical power is distributed to two or more of the installed electronic device, the retained electrical peripheral device, and the battery.
 12. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a second docking receptacle for removably retaining a second electrical peripheral device used with the electronic device, wherein the second docking receptacle includes a second electrical interface for electrically connecting the protective case to the second retained electrical peripheral device.
 13. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a transparent membrane spanning at least a portion of the aperture, the user interface of the installed electronic device operable through the transparent membrane.
 14. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the flexible member comprises silicone.
 15. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the structural member comprises a first structural member and a second structural member, wherein the first structural member removably couples to the second structural member to at least partially enclose the installed electronic device.
 16. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a soft inner liner attached to the structural member, wherein the soft inner liner is configured to contact the installed electronic device.
 17. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising electrical circuitry.
 18. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the engagement mechanism comprises one or more of: a magnet, a clip, a twist lock feature, and an interference fit.
 19. A protective case for an electronic device and an associated electrical peripheral device, the protective case comprising: a housing comprising: a shell having a first cavity for receiving at least a portion of the electronic device and protecting the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the shell; a docking receptacle for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device, wherein the docking receptacle includes a second cavity for receiving at least a portion of the electrical peripheral device; an engagement mechanism for removably retaining the electrical peripheral device in the second cavity, and a first electrical interface for electrically connecting the protective case to the retained electrical peripheral device; and a flexible panel attached to the shell and positioned in proximity to the docking receptacle, wherein the flexible panel is configured to deform toward the second cavity in response to an external force applied to the flexible panel, the deformation of the flexible panel resulting in the flexible panel contacting the retained electrical peripheral device inside the housing to eject the retained electrical peripheral device from the docking receptacle; and a battery configured to supply electrical power to the retained electrical peripheral device through the first electrical interface to charge the retained electrical peripheral device.
 20. A protective case for use with an electronic device and earbuds used with the electronic device: a structural member for receiving at least a portion of the electronic device and protecting the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective case; an aperture that provides access to a user interface of the installed electronic device; a rechargeable battery; two docking receptacles for removably docking the earbuds, each docking receptacle including a cavity for receiving at least a portion of a respective one of the earbuds, each docking receptacle further including an electrical interface for electrically connecting the rechargeable battery to the respective docked earbud to charge the respective docked earbud; and a flexible member attached to the structural member and positioned in proximity to the docking receptacles, wherein the flexible member is configured to temporarily deform toward the cavities of the docking receptacles in response to an external force applied to the flexible member, the deformation of the flexible member resulting in the flexible member contacting the docked earbuds to eject the docked earbuds from the respective docking receptacles. 